Video projectors and other ceiling mounted devices have been available for many years and are an integral part of both business and educational presentations. Early versions of these projectors were typically rested on a conference table or any convenient available surface and manually aimed at the intended viewing surface or screen. This placement had inherent drawbacks in that passers-by may block the projected image or inadvertently bump the table and knock the projector out of alignment, or even worse, liquid spillages on the conference table may damage the projector. Attempts to alleviate these problems have focused on mounting the projector on the ceiling or the wall.
One early mounting technique utilized a metal water pipe with a flange screwed onto each end. One flange was used to affix the mounting structure to the ceiling, while the other flange was attached to the projector. In the wake of solving some of the aforementioned problems, this mounting method unfortunately created a number of new problems. Foremost is the problem of assembly and installation. Because each installation may be different, the installers have to use pipe cutting and threading machines, which is time consuming, labor intensive and costly. There is also the question of safety with this method due to the cutting of threads into the piping and its subsequent weakening.
Probably the most widely used method of mounting a projector to the ceiling has been by the use of a single piece permanent mounting bracket. This device attaches to the projector on one side, and to the ceiling on the other. Although this requires minimal space, there exists the problem when the user wants to remove the projector for service or when it is in the way. This may require the use of a number of tools and may become very tedious when the working space is quite small.
Given the above, there is a need for a ceiling or wall mount device for a video projector which allows for both easy installation/mounting of the projector as well as an easy quick disconnect for ease of maintenance.